Dental bleaching is an increasingly popular treatment and dentists are searching for techniques that are both convenient and comfortable for their patients. Numerous methods and tools have been developed for the purpose of dental bleaching. Typically, a composition containing hydrogen peroxide is applied to the teeth and allowed to remain in contact with the tooth to be bleached. Various methods and devices have been developed to allow a user to apply a whitening composition to a tooth to be whitened. However, inexperienced or careless users may apply an excessive amount of whitening composition, with the result that the excess must be removed and discarded, wasting time and material. Worse yet, the excessive material may irritate gums or other tissues not intended to be in contact with large amounts of whitening composition. Thus, there exists a need for methods and apparatus for tooth whitening that provide more control over the delivery of whitening composition to a tooth.